|
General Information
England, the heart of the United Kingdom, shows
a lot of different faces: pulsing city life and
lonely landscapes, old-fashioned customs and avantgarde
culture, mediterranean beaches and rough mountains.
 For
cultural sightseeing as for nightlife, London
is a ceaselessly entertaining city, and inevitably
it is the one place that features everyone's itinerary.
It is not only Europe's biggest city (with a population
of over seven million) and capital, but also the
place, where the country's news, politics and
money are made.
Within the southeast of England, along the coastline,
Brighton , an irresistibly seedy resort, and Canterbury
, the bishopric seat of Thomas Becket, offer contrasting
diversions. This is the richest part of the country,
due to its agricultural wealth and proximity to
the capital.
The southwest of England with
the rugged moorlands of Devon and the rocky coastline
of Cornwall , is another spot worth to discover.
Salisbury , where they say the West Country starts,
is dominated by the elegant spire of its cathedral.
In Neolithic times a rich and powerful culture
evolved here, as shown by monuments such as Stonehenge
and Avebury . The main urban attraction of western
England is Bristol , but also Bath and Exeter
are worth a visit.
In the centre of the country, the chief attractions
are the old university cities of Oxford and Cambridge
, and the town of Shakespeare, Stratford upon
Avon, though the often bypassed city of Norwich
, over in the picturesque flatlands of East Anglia,
can be equally rewarding. In the north of England,
the industrial cities of Liverpool , Newcastle
and Manchester are gritty and lively places and
York and Durham have splendid historical treasures,
but the landscape again is the real magnet, especially
the uplands of the Lake District and the dales
of Yorkshire.
Full country name:
England
Area: 129,720 sq km
Population: 51 million
Capital City: London
People: Anglo-Saxons, Scots,
Welsh, Irish, West Indians, Pakistanis, Indians
Language: English
Religion: Church of England,
Methodist, Baptist, Catholic, Muslim, Hindu and
Sikh.
Government: constitutional monarchy
Head of State: Queen Elizabeth
II
Head of Government: Prime Minister
Tony Blair
GDP: US$1.25 trillion
GDP per capita: US$22,800
Inflation: 2.7%
Major Industries: Banking and
finance, steel, transport equipment, oil and gas,
coal, tourism
Major Trading Partners: EU (especially
Germany, France, Netherlands, Ireland), USA
Member of EU: yes
|
|
